They moved along the corridor that Houdini appeared to favor. At the far end Drake could see more intersecting passages. Alice was not far away. The whisper of intimate awareness on the back of his neck told him that she was somewhere nearby.

Instinct prompted him to move as quietly as possible. He noticed that Jasper and Fletcher did the same. Their caution was probably unnecessary. The reality was that sound, like other kinds of energy, was always distorted and quickly overwhelmed by the Alien psi that emanated from the tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor. It was possible to be within fifteen feet of someone who was talking in a normal voice and not be aware of his or her presence if the person happened to be out of sight around a corner.

“I know the three of us have a plan,” Fletcher said. “But I doubt that Houdini understands human strategy. If we’re close to Alice, he’s liable to take off at any moment to try to get to her. If Egan spots him, he’ll realize that we might be in the vicinity.”

“Every plan has a weak point,” Drake said, glancing at Houdini. “The good news is that we know ours. That means that we can compensate. On second thought, that’s not the only good news.”

Jasper raised his brows. “But, wait, there’s more?”

“Oh, yeah,” Drake said. “We’ve got two ghost hunters on our team. Zara Tucker only has one.”

“One hunter who just happens to be armed with an Alien weapon,” Fletcher pointed out.

“I’m counting on your ghost-fighting talents to neutralize Egan’s weapon,” Drake said.

“Right.” Jasper automatically touched the amber he wore around his neck. “No problem.”

They hugged the wall of the tunnel as they approached the intersection. Drake took Houdini off his shoulder and tucked him under one arm, silently trying to convey the need to stay out of sight until the last minute. Houdini wriggled a little but he stayed put. Maybe he had gotten the message, Drake thought. Or maybe when it came to hunting instincts, all predators relied on the same basic strategy—don’t let the prey see you coming until you’re ready to make the kill.

Drake was in the lead, so he arrived at the vaulted entrance of the passage first. Now, at last, he could make out voices. He motioned Jasper and Fletcher to a halt. They all listened intently.

“. . . They’ve been inside a full minute and they haven’t collapsed,” Zara said. Relief and excitement vibrated in her voice. “It looks like Alice can handle the psi.”

“What if they don’t find the crystals?” Egan asked.

“She’s still conscious. This is going to work.”

“But if it doesn’t?”

“You had better hope that it does,” Zara said. “Because if this fails there is only one last option.”

“You never said there was another option.” Egan sounded uneasy. “What is it?”

“We’ll have to send someone else in,” Zara said, impatient now.

“Yeah? Who?”

“You.”

“Are you crazy? I’m not going in there. I can’t handle that kind of energy. I’m a ghost hunter, not a light-talent.”

“According to my calculations, there is a seventy-percent possibility that a non–light-talent can survive the experience for a short time. Hopefully, long enough to bring out the crystals.”

“But you said the energy buildup inside the pyramid would drive a non–light-talent mad.”

“That is a complication,” Zara said. “Let’s hope that Alice can pull off one last magic trick.”

Chapter 37

THE NERVE-SHATTERING DARKNESS SCREAMED AROUND them. And this is with my senses at full throttle, Alice thought. No wonder Zara Tucker and Egan had not been able to get through the storm. It took everything she had to forge a path. She did her best to protect Pete as well as herself but she could tell from the death grip he had on her hand that he was struggling.

A few more steps and they were through the psi-barrier. Alice realized she had been holding her breath. She finally managed to inhale. Not that the situation was greatly improved.

A storm of dark light roared and crashed and churned around them. There were occasional flashes of paranormal lightning, but they did nothing to illuminate the interior of the pyramid. Bizarre images appeared and disappeared in the depths of the seemingly impenetrable night.

The utter darkness was disorienting. No normal light filtered in past the narrow entrance. They had taken only a couple of steps inside, but Alice could not see anything, not even Pete standing so close that his shoulder brushed against hers.

“Oh, shit,” Pete said. Dread edged his words. “It’s gotten even worse than it was yesterday when she sent me in here, a lot worse.”

“It’s okay,” Alice said with a cool certainty she did not feel. “It’s just light—really, really dark light—but light is light and I can work with that.”

“I used to think I could work with light, too. But this stuff isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen.”

She kept her grip on Pete’s hand and focused on altering the currents of her aura so that they formed a shield, forcing the dark wavelengths of the nightmare energy to bend around the two of them.

“What’s happening?” Pete whispered.

“We just went invisible. This is my one big trick. We’re standing in the eye of the storm now. Too bad we don’t have an audience. How are you doing?”

“Okay.” Pete sounded vaguely amazed. “I’m okay, at least I think so. Or maybe this is one of the hallucinations. I’m aware of the intensity of the energy but it’s as if we’re in a bubble that’s protecting us from the forces.”

“That’s a good way to describe it.”

“How long can you keep this up?”

“Long enough.” I hope, she added silently. Never let the audience see you sweat. “Let’s find those crystals.”

“Not a good idea. Once Dr. Tucker and Egan get their hands on those damn stones, you and I are both toast. Well, I am, for sure. They might keep you around until they’re safely off the island, but I’m a goner as soon as I step out of here. I doubt if you’ll last much longer.”

“I know, but those crystals are the only bargaining chips we’ve got,” Alice said. “Once we have them, we might be able to buy a little more time.”

“Time for your husband to arrive?” Pete sounded dubious.

“Yes,” she said. “Trust me, he’ll get here eventually.”

“Okay, it’s not like I’ve got any plan at all.”

“Can you sense the crystals?”

“Not anymore,” Pete said. “The bitch sent me in here one too many times. I haven’t had time to fully recover between sessions. I’m pretty burned out.”

Alice went still, probing cautiously. A thin trickle of energy that felt very different from the currents of the storm danced somewhere in the darkness.

“I think I’ve got a fix on them,” she said.

She moved forward, keeping her grip on Pete. She put her free hand out to ward off an encounter with a sloped wall.

She was walking blind but that did not stop the fractured images from swirling around her.

“It’s like moving through a dream,” she said.

“Yeah, a nightmare,” Pete said. “But I don’t feel as disoriented as I have in the past. Usually by now I start to pass out. Your light-bending trick is working.”

The delicate trickle of energy was growing stronger.

“We’re getting closer,” she said.

The tension on the rope around her waist remained steady as Egan let out the line.

“They must be getting real excited out there,” Pete said grimly. “They’ll know we haven’t collapsed yet. Hell, I’m excited because I haven’t passed out.”

Alice did not reply. There was no point letting Pete know that she was having to pull harder and harder on her talent to keep the shield around both of them. She was approaching her limits.

The trail of crystal energy brightened. For the first time she could perceive a pale, shadowy light flickering in the utter darkness, a weak paranormal candle flame. As she and Pete moved closer a second current of eerie radiance appeared.